Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I am introducing a new blog post that I would like to do on regular basis. "My Vegan Finds" will be a new "blog article" where I will share my favorite vegan products, top pantry and beauty picks, fitness stuff, awesome kitchen tools, new vegan products, and everything in between that I think is worth sharing. Any suggestions and recommendations from you are welcomed!

My friends at Go Max Go company rock! Not only do they make the best vegan chocolate candy bars on the entire planet, but they actively support and help numerous animal sanctuaries, dog rescues and other amazing causes.

Do you miss your childhood favorite candy bars from your pre-vegan days? Well, now you can have them back, only vegan, cruelty-free and better tasting! Go Max Go Jokers is kind of like Snickers, Twilight is like Mars , Buccaneer is like 3 Musketeers (or Bounty with added almonds), Snap! is like Chocolate Rice Krispies, and Cleo's are like Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

I love them all! They are all very different and amazing when it comes to textures and flavor combinations, but my ultimate favorite is the Twilight. I have been buying Go Max Go bars for years and I still have not got tired of them. The only thing is that since I have been on a diet now and watch my calories I can only indulge on these delightful candy bars on special occasions (for now) since the calories range between 230 an 280 per bar. Sometimes, I cut them in half and eat one half, and save the other half for the next day (which is hard since I am very tempted to eat the whole thing all at once). I usually buy these bars at Whole Foods, but you can probably find them in most natural foods markets nowadays.

Shelly loves treats! I usually stuff her rubber squirrel toy with peanut butter, frozen soy yogurt and peanut butter, fresh or frozen fruits or veggies, or dog biscuits. We found new doggie biscuits that are VEGAN! Yay! Max & Ruffy's have been baking dog treats since 2009. Their dog biscuits are organic, vegan, eco-friendly, homemade, and made with human-grade, non-GMO ingredients. They have two sizes of treats, tiny aka "mini bites" (perfect for training or small dogs), and original biscuits for medium and big dogs.

They have some interesting and healthy options. I give Shelly the wheat-free treats since she has allergies, but I gave the W.P. Pizza and Molasses Explosion to my friend's Jack Russell dog who is extremely picky and he gobbled it up within seconds! I actually tasted the pizza treat myself (I know I am weird LOL) and the aroma and taste was very pizza-like. The Mother Quinoa's Pumpkin Patch aroma reminds me of pumpkin pie.

I like that Max & Ruffy's use superfoods (such as kelp, quinoa, alfalfa, blueberries, etc) in their treats and that they don't use chemical preservatives, artificial flavors, colors or other junk.

Since I have started running and exercising daily I have been sweating almost daily. My hair feel like it needs to be washed everyday now, but I don't always have time for washing my hair (it takes forever since my hair is long and I use a shampoo and then conditioner, not to mention the time it takes to dry my hair).... I though that dry shampoo might be something that would do the job in between hair washing. I was lucky and received a sample of a vegan dry shampoo from Moody Sisters (Organic Skincare) company. They have the cutest logo (a black kitty)!

This Travel Lemon Dry Shampoo is a very interesting product. It is a powder that comes with a cute powder puff applicator. The powder has a nice lemony scent. The directions are easy:

Tap excess powder from the applicator into the lid of the tin. Apply small amounts as needed to your hair with powder puff and massage into your scalp with towel to absorb oil. Brush out hair.

When I tried the dry shampoo for the first time I used too much which resulted in a big mess in my bathroom.... Lesson learned. My hair felt beautiful, almost velvety after, and I got a big volume as a bonus. And the light lemon scent was a nice touch as well. But since my hair is not naturally oily I felt that my scalp became a bit dry. This would be a great product for people with oily scalp/hair, and people with fine hair. I wish I had this dry shampoo when I used to go hiking and camping in Europe, because it does not need water and it is light and small so you can tuck it in any backpack.

Moody Sisters make 100% organic skin care (everything from lotions, scrubs, fragrance perfume sprays, lip balms, deodorants, to eye cream). They make everything in their home kitchen in Cashmere, WA. They are looking for product sales reps. Check out their add:

Product Sales Rep

Moody Sisters Organic Skincare is a hip, organic and vegan skincare company based out of Washington state seeking a dynamic, motivated sales representative. The ideal candidate would consist of someone who possesses a passion for organic handmade skincare. You would be responsible for calling related businesses to introduce our line and sell the product wholesale. We offer commission based off of sales and reorders. We are looking for a confident,professional, and self-motivated individual to help us expand our in-store presence. Please email us with your information and/or resume.

We are only allowing one sales rep per region so if you are interested please let us know as soon as possible with the list of cities you would be traveling to.

You don't have to have sales experience, although it is helpful, we will be offering training skype sessions with our sales reps to answer questions and help set goals etc.

There will be a contract and we are looking for committed individuals for 1 year, but do also remember that you will be earning a competitive commission rate on all your sales! You have sales aids, brochures etc. and we make sure you understand our line and feel confident in what you're selling.

The selling possibilities are very large, especially if you live in a larger town. Moody Sisters is popular in organic and green stores, gift shops, health food stores, massage studios and hair salons.

Save 20% off your order if you use coupon code: Referral (you can mention my name Elisabeth-Czech Vegan when checking out)

I am celebrating several major accomplishments this week. None of which would be possible without you, my amazing readers, and my supportive friends and family. All of you inspire everyday! You are the force that moves me forward and that gives me a reason to blog and create recipes. Thank you!

Drumroll, please :-)

My Garlicky Cheezy Kale salad was featured in the new Vegetarian Times Magazine issue (September 2012) as one of the honorable mentions from their recipe contests. That is my second recipe that was published in the Vegetarian Times Magazine as an honorable mention in their readers contest :-) I could not be happier! They even put my photo in this issue and a link to my blog. Win, win, win!

And my Chocolate Raspberry Tofu Pie recipe was published in the Eating Well Magazine (August 2012 issue) :-) It makes me so happy to have two recipes published in magazines at the same time.

On a different note, my weight loss journey is going very well.

I have lost 15.4 pounds (7 kg) since the end of April. I did not measure myself in April so I cannot track how many inches I lost total, but since I measured myself two month ago, I have managed to shrink about 3 inches around my waist, 2 inches around my hips, 1 inch around my arm and 2 inches around my thigh. I manage to squeeze a good cardio exercise into my busy work schedule 6 times a week. I run, I use stationary bike and elliptical machine, I do aerobics at home and I also do some light weight lifting, push-ups and crunches, etc. When I first started running in April, I could barely run 1 full minute without stopping or having to take a walk break. I have slowly built myself to run 5 minutes without stopping, and nowadays I can run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) without walk breaks or stopping. I am working on improving my speed now.

The hardest part of this journey is not the exercising, it is the food. I am a foodie, food lover and I used to live to eat. Having to shift my priorities, cooking and eating habits was, and still is, a challenge for me. I am trying to keep my calorie intake around 1200-1300 calories a day, but I still enjoy a chocolate (or hot chocolate, or other treat) everyday. It is not about deprivation for me, but I have to plan carefully every meal and every day ahead of time. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I have cranky days and happy days, I have days when I want to give up, but then I remind myself of the promise I made in April. And it feels good to fit into jeans that are 3 sizes smaller than my old jeans :-)

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

I believe that every cat should have a cat tree at home, especially indoor kitties. And here is why:

All feline friends love climbing trees, watching birds, hunting chipmunks, hiding in shrubbery, scratching on tree trunks and engaging in other fun activities outdoors. However, the outside world is not always safe for our feline friends, especially if you live in a city. There is too much danger between coyotes, stray dogs, raccoons, mean people, cars, fleas, ticks, parasites and random poisons, so I personally choose to keep my kitties indoors.

I take care of a small feral cat colony near by and I cannot tell you how many feral cats I have seen getting hit by a car, killed by coyotes, or having their legs broken by nasty evil people, and one cat was even shot by some evil guy. Both of the cat rescue groups that I volunteer for are against outdoor kitties in Atlanta. We simply don't adopt to anyone who would turn their kitties into outdoor cats. Well, to keep or not to keep your cat indoors is a personal decision.

You can have a happy and healthy indoor kitties and still let them be cats. Instead of chasing "prey" they can chase string toys, laser pointer, etc. They can safely watch birds from the balcony or a window and they can hide in boxes, paper bags, or special kitty furniture. You can even place a bird or squirrel feeder near the window for a fun and safe "kitty TV".

In nature, cats climb trees and lounge in tree limbs which can be mimicked by a specially designed cat furniture that serves the same purpose as a tree. Cat tree is a piece of furniture that every household with cats should have so their cats can climb, lounge, stretch and scratch, and keep their nails healthy. Cats love watching the action bellow and if you have a multi cat household, getting a multilevel cat tree is important. Also having plenty of scratchers and different scratcher posts with different textures (cardboard, sisal, carpet, etc) in different parts of your house can save your furniture from being shredded to bits by your cats.

I was searching for a cat tree that would be built to last (not only a few weeks fun) and that would not be made in China ( I try to support US companies, plus China stuff can be questionable, especially when it comes to cat and dog products). Unfortunately what I found in local stores were cat trees made in China, or extremely overpriced cat furniture made in USA. Luckily I found New Cat Condos. This company has been making very nice cat condos, cat gyms, cat furniture and cat scratching posts for over 25 years. I got this beautiful and high quality Cat Scratch & Lounge for Abbey and Bear and it was the best thing that I ever got for them ever since we adopted them! No kidding! New Cat Condos company offers a 30 day, no questions asked guarantee on all their cat furniture. That is pretty cool considering that cats can be picky about their toys and cat trees!

Their cat condos and cat houses assemble in minutes with only a screw driver and a hammer, but this one came already fully assembled. So as soon as I took it out of the box, Bear was climbing on top of it :-) Another awesome bonus was a free (and very fast) shipping which is a big plus.

This durable cat tree has a solid wood construction. Because it has a large base for stability, it does not wobble even when the cats go bananas and jump all over it, or hang off the sides. The carpeting part feels very soft and plush. I like the fact that no glue or toxic materials were used in the production of this cat tree. It was made in the USA. This cat tree has a long and sturdy sisal rope scratching post. It has a very large cat perch on the top which is Bear's favorite spot. It has 3 scratching posts total so the kitties don't have to fight over who will scratch what. I love that it is not too tall or too heavy, it weights around 34 pounds so I can easily move it from room to room. I keep it in the living room during the day and in the evening I move it to the bedroom.

This is one of our kitty corners. You don't want to know how many cat beds and cardboard scratchers we have randomly placed around the house...... Animals in our house come first and humans second LOL

We rotate toys weekly (we have a big box where we keep toys and take out some for each week and then rotate the old ones so they keep playing with them). The kitty tent was purchased at Ikea many years ago and they love hiding in there. The sides crinkle so it keeps them interested even more.

Bear in the air (jumping up on his kitty tree) while Abbey is watching him from the ground.

Bear trying to kill yet another toy........

Both kitties

Bear says: "Don't make me come down there! I am the king of this castle and you all are my human slaves!" LOL

Abbey on the top

Bear during his scratching frenzy :-)

Nap time on the top

Abbey looking up at Bear

And now the exciting part!

Abbey and Bear are doing a little giveaway. They sent me to a store and told me to get this Hemp Mouse toy and offer it as a giveaway prize for one lucky kitty.

Your kitty can win this brand new, eco-friendly, natural, vegan and fun cat toy. The toy is made in USA from all natural hemp and fresh organic catnip. The toy has a very strong catnip aroma that lasts for years. We have had several toys from the same company and since they are well made and have strong catnip aroma, my kitties are still playing with them often.

You have several ways to enter this giveaway. I will pick 1 random comment on August 7th 2012, Tuesday evening. If you want extra entries, you have to leave a comment for each entry option to count, if you leave one big comment with everything in it, it will only count as one entry. The more comments, the better the chances are to win.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

I received an email from the Beanfields company asking if I would like to try some unique tortilla chips. Bean & Rice tortilla chips to be exact. Well, I was intrigued but I did not know what to expect since I was only familiar with corn based tortilla chips until this review. It was love at first bite! These chips are absolutely FASCINATING and REVOLUTIONARY! Not only do they taste better than any tortilla chips I have ever had, but they are also:-Corn Free-Gluten Free- Non GMO VerifiedThey have 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of complete protein in every 1 oz. serving which is twice as much as most corn tortilla chips. Plus, beans and rice are so much better for you than corn.

These chips are also allergy friendly because they don't contain anything from the FDA's list of eight foods that trigger about 90% of all food allergies. Beanfields Nacho Chips are the vegan answer to Doritos, only better and without the cheese and corn. The Nacho Chips even won "Best of Show" at 2012 Natural Products Expo West by VegNews magazine.

Beanfields is a family owned, values-based company that is all about beans. They believe that beans are good for families, good for farmers, and good for our planet. I agree! Here are just some of the reasons:

*Beans are rich in nutrients

*Beans fix nitrogen in the soil

*Beans take less water to grow per pound than any other protein source

*Beans are low glycemic

*Beans rarely cause n allergic reaction

Beanfields was founded in 2010 and they emphasize and value relationships with all of their stakeholders, farmers, ingredient suppliers, and manufacturers. They support local nonprofits by donating their products and time, and they share profits with their stakeholders and community. What a wonderful company! I value companies that support not only animal rights but also other causes and give back to the community.

I was able to try all five flavors and I could not get enough! The only problem for me personally was the fact that my low calorie diet restriction did not allow me to eat a big bag in one sitting which I would love to do. Thankfully they also have four of their flavors available in 1.5 oz. bags since the 6 oz. bag has too many calories for me and I cannot control myself once the bag is opened......

Here are my thoughts. All chips were beautifully crunchy and not too thick, greasy or dry. So much better than any freshly made tortilla chips from Mexican restaurants!

Nacho Chips

What a brilliant way to veganize Doritos without using crazy ingredients and artificial flavors! These chips are amazingly cheesy, they have a slight hint of sweet paprika which is tangled with a lovely creaminess (almost like a sour cream blended with melted cheddar cheese). They even smell like cheddar cheese with sour cream! This flavor is definitely going to rock your world!

Naturally Unsalted

Those are a bit bland for me since I am used to salty chips. The benefit of having these chips in the purest form (black beans, navy beans, long grain rice, high oleic safflower or sunflower oil) is the fact that you can taste the unique bean flavor, plus you can add them to already salty dishes (I added mine to black bean soup) without oversalting your meal. And people with high blood pressure can enjoy these healthy and delicious chips, too.

Sea Salt & Pepper

Close your eyes and imagine the aroma and taste of freshly ground black pepper. Warm and spicy, yet so different from chili pepper or spicy paprika. It doesn't happen often that a salty snack is based purely on black pepper as the main flavoring since black pepper usually accompanies other spices and flavors. These chips are a salty bliss with a peppery bite. My taste buds appreciated all the warmness of the black pepper.

Pico De Gallo

The aroma of these chips reminds me of a Mexican restaurant. They taste exactly as one would imagine it would be.

They did not disappoint me in any way. So many different flavors mingled all together (smoky, salty, not too spicy). Cilantro, tomato, bell pepper and other veggies are blended with spices to create a delightful experience. I ate these by themselves and as a topping for my enchiladas.

Sea Salt

Very pleasant bean flavor with the perfect amount of salt. Plain and simple, yet flavorful and fun. So forget old, boring, deep fried and unhealthy potato chips and reach for these!

Soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and finely chop.

In a medium bowl mash beans and mix in the rest of the ingredients, using your hands to blend everything well.

Let sit 20-30 minutes. Form four flat patties and cook on a non-stick skilled over medium heat (I did not use any oil, but you can grease the skillet using cooking spray). Cook 5 minutes, flip carefully and cook another 5 minutes. Serve in burger buns with your favorite veggies and condiments.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Last night my husband asked me if I could bake some sweet muffins. I haven't baked any muffins or cakes since I started my low calorie diet three months ago (with the exception of Happy Herbivore's amazing low fat Black Bean Brownies). Before my diet I used to bake muffins, brownies, cakes, pies, etc at least once or twice a week. I often used 1 cup of sugar and up to 1/2 cup oil in my recipes making the baked goodies into calorie bombs. This recipe represented a new challenge for me. To make a healthier muffin that would be lower fat, lower sugar, lower calorie, but still tasty and sweet enough for my husband to enjoy. The average muffins have around 400 calories a piece. This muffin is around 122 calories :-) For some reason it only made 9 muffins, but if you have smaller muffin pan you might be able to get 12 muffins out of this and lower the calories per muffin. Maybe adding more water would help to stretch the batter a bit. I usually use apple sauce but here I decided to use something else. You can use unsweetened applesauce. You can use more stevia instead of raw sugar, or add more sugar instead of stevia if you don't mind the extra calories.

I topped my husband's muffins with dark chocolate peanut butter frosting and mine with a tiny spoonful of apricot jam. Raspberry jam or cherry jam would probably be a better option, just make sure you get low sugar jam with about 30 calories per tablespoon. Or eat the muffins with a cup of tea, or hot almond milk.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine all wet ingredients in medium bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into dry mixture. Fill muffin cups to the top with batter. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Enjoy!

Friday, July 13, 2012

When I opened a package from Go Raw company a few weeks ago, I felt like a kid opening Christmas presents. Edible presents wrapped in beautiful, colorful packages. I have been eating a lot of raw foods lately and I became bored with my usual snacks so this was a welcome change that my body and taste buds enjoyed. But since I have been counting calories I had to ration my raw goodies to ensure that I would not eat them all in one day and gain back all the weight that have I lost so far (I have lost over 13 pounds since the end of April) :-) Go Raw believes that gentle drying process under 105 F, and sprouting seeds releases enzymes which make them healthier and easier to digest. Sprouted seeds are among the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet. Go Raw finds the best, local when available seeds which they carefully test and inspect before soaking them in filtered water. Then they rinse them, clean them and sprout them for up to four hours. They make raw, GMO-free, organic, gluten free, hand made snacks (cookies, granola, bars, chips and chocolate). Go Raw is a family owned company that operates from all raw kitchen.

These are the products along with my honest opinion about them. I shared many of these with my husband and my friends, while I kept some just for myself........

Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds

These salty, slightly nutty seeds represent simplicity at its best. They almost melt in my mouth and leave a nice, salty, cheesy and nutty aftertaste. I eat them straight out of the bag. I also used them in my raw pesto instead of cheese and pine nuts. They blended nicely into the pesto and gave it a wonderful touch. Stay tuned for my raw pesto recipe.

Organic Granola

I did not believe that you could make raw granola without oats or other grains, and bunch of sugar. Go Raw showed me that it was possible. They use sprouted buckwheat groats that get their sweetness from dates and raisins rather than from honey or agave nectar. I often had the granola for breakfast. I added it to a bowl of almond milk, plain unsweetened soy yogurt, or bowl of raw berries. This granola is crunchy, sweet and filling.

Bars

These bars are a unique take on granola bars. They are very firm, chewy and you can see all the beautiful seeds in them (unlike other bars that ground everything together so you cannot see what you are eating). My absolute favorite bar was the Real Live Flax Bar with a distinctive apricot flavor and a good amount of sweetness. I adore apricots! The flax seed gave it a nice nutty touch without being overpowering. And it was only 50 calories for the small bar :-)

I also enjoyed the Spirulina Energy Bar very much. Strong banana flavor with silky coconut notes, sweet dates and sesame seeds. Spirulina is very healthy and in a combination with the rest of the ingredients I felt as if I was eating a multi-vitamin in a yummy form.

The Live Granola Bar was very similar to the Organic Granola, except it was in one piece and it had sunflower seeds and sesame seeds instead of raisins.

The Banana Flax Bar had a very strong banana taste with nutty flax seed notes that I found a bit overpowering.

The Live Pumpkin Bar was sweet and salty and it looked beautiful!

These bars served as my post-run snack, my lunch and my late afternoon fuel. They were no mess, no fuss bars that did not melt or crumble in the 100 and plus heat in Atlanta outside.

COOOOOOOOOOKIES!!!!!!

The cookies were the most fun and delicious part of my review! I could not get enough of these and I had to ask my husband to hide them from me because I would grab handfuls and it added extra calories to my days.......

When I tried my first bite of the Lemon Super Cookies I said "Wow" out loud. They are outstanding! They taste like freshly baked lemon cookies, except they are thinner and crunchier. The lemon oil gives them a stunning lemon flavor that is accompanied by a mellow and creamy coconut.

The Ginger Snaps Cookies taste EXACTLY like ginger snaps, no kidding! But they are so much better for you! The strong, pungent ginger is surrounded by creamy, caramel-like flavors.

The Spirulina Super Chips are basically a round version of the Spirulina Energy Bar. Green, heathy cookies with a banana and coconut flavor.

The Chocolate Super Cookies are awesome! Coconut and chocolate duet with a slight hint of smokiness.

The Original Super Cookies are a pure bliss. Coconut and sesame seeds sweetened with dates. Yummy!

The Masala Chai Cookies are very decadent and exotic, with a light spiciness. Imagine if chai tea would turn into a cookie :-) This is a lovely cookie with a hot cup of almond milk.

The Carrot Cake Cookies are lightly spiced carrots and coconut with a festive nutmeg and sweet dates. "Eat your veggies" has never tasted so good! I can see and taste the carrots in this so clearly, it is amazing how the taste resembles fresh raw carrots.

I found Go Raw products at Whole Foods so I already bought more cookies :-)

I was looking forward to the Pizza Flax Snax that smelled just like a pizza (due to a nice blend of tomato and Italian spices). I could taste oregano, basil, garlic and tomato in this salty snack, but sadly I tasted licorice in this too and that was a deal breaker for me. I am not a big fan of licorice and it was a bit too strong for me. If it did not have the licorice taste, these salty chips would surely become my favorite.

The Spicy Flax Snax are cheese, salty, and slightly spicy chips. Jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice give it a great twist.

About Me

I am a Czech Vegan living in America. I am working on my first vegan cookbook. On this blog I share my recipes, my thoughts on vegan living, vegan products reviews and other fun things. Two of my recipes were published in the Vegetarian Times magazine, as winning recipes in their recipe contests (November/December 2010 issue and September 2012 issue) and another recipe was published by Eating Well in the cookbook EatingWell Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals: 150 Healthy Recipes Everyone Will Love (2011), and Eating Well magazine (August 2012 issue).
I love cooking and baking, running, and I enjoy veganizing Czech and American recipes. I am an animal rescuer, chocoholic and a tea lover.
I would like to mention that some of the products that I talk about on my blog were generously given to me with no obligation to write a positive review. If you make vegan products and want them to be featured and reviewed on my blog, let me know. You can email me at czechvegan (at) yahoo.com. My old email address czech.vegan (at) yahoo.com was compromised so I can no longer access it.